An Xmas Carol
by SawyerRaleigh
Summary: Yuzuriha tracks down Fuuma to make a Christmas wish come true. 12 days of wishes ensue.
1. Peace

_Author's Note: Just wanted to do a little Christmas fanfic for everyone. ^_^ I know the title is corny but deal with it. XD More to come soon hopefully!  
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_On the first day of Christmas, a young girl wished for peace._

Fuuma laughed down at the girl, causing the puppy in her arms to growl, its fluffy little muzzle twisted into the fiercest snarl it could manage.

"Please." Yuzuriha supplicated.

"You tracked me down just for this?"

"But it's Christmastime! Please! I'm sure your side would like a break just as much as ours would! Wouldn't it be nice to have a temporary truce?"

Fuuma studied her with a smile, sizing her up. "And just why should I honor this request? Who's to say I won't wave a white flag to hide the gun I'm pointing at you?"

"It's my wish." Yuzuriha informed him firmly.

"Is that so."

She nodded, her expression set in the most determined look she could muster.

"Just temporarily?"

Yuzuriha lit up, hoping this was an acquiescence.

Fuuma sighed. "It's funny how around the holidays, it's nearly a fad to wish for world peace. People just hope for it to be nice and calm for a while but never work toward making it like that all the time."

"But… would you have granted it if I had asked for permanent world peace?" Yuzuriha inquired, wondering if maybe had just missed an important opportunity.

Fuuma laughed.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it isn't possible."

Yuzuriha's face fell. "That can't be…" She set her jaw and gave him a hard stare. "I don't believe you. You're one of the Kamuis. You can control the fate of the world. You _have_ to be able to make this happen."

Fuuma laughed again. "Why aren't you wishing for this from your own Kamui?"

"He can't grant wishes like you can."

Fuuma tilted his head with a sad smile. "Maybe not for you."

Yuzuriha puzzled over this for a moment.

"How does twelve days sound?"

Yuzuriha's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Starting today."

"Oh my gosh, that would be awesome!" Yuzuriha squeezed Inuki in a tight hug as the puppy, sensing that its mistress was overjoyed, licked her cheek happily.

"There's a condition though."

Yuzuriha froze, wary. "A condition?"

He nodded. "Things like this don't come free."

"Peace isn't free?"

"Not in this world it isn't."

"Then what is the condition?"

He leaned forward, and to her surprise petted Inuki who snarled at the touch.

"There's a price which you will have to pay."

"I will?"

He nodded.

"Just me? Not anyone else?" Yuzuriha wanted to make sure there was no catch that involved hurting one of her friends.

"Just you."

"Done."

Fuuma raised an eyebrow. "You sure about that?" He slid a hand under her chin, and held her face up, centimeters away from his own. "I could ask you for any number of things."

Yuzuriha felt adrenaline begin to flood her system in fear but she held her ground. "I don't mind." She told him sincerely. "Whatever price you might ask, it's worth it."

Fuuma smiled.

"Okay. Then I'll grant your little wish. But in return-"

Yuzuriha held her breath.

"You have to stay with me for the twelve days."

She blinked. "What?"

"You said you would pay any price right? Or were you being deceitful?"

She quickly shook her head. "No! I meant it! I'm just… surprised I guess that that's all you want."

Fuuma chuckled. "It isn't what I want."

"Then why ask for it?"

"Because it is necessary to grant the wish."

"Why is that?"

The smile he gave her was one full of a loneliness that she never imagined the Dragon of Earth could be capable of.

"Come on."

"Huh?"

"Well it's getting dark and the temperature is starting to drop kinda quick. Aren't you cold?"

She nodded, wishing she had brought a heavier coat now. "A little."

"Well then let's get indoors."

"Okay!"

She paused, remembering something. "Inuki." She addressed the puppy sternly. "Be nice to Fuuma, okay?" She glanced up at the young man. "Is it okay if I call you Fuuma?"

"Sure."

She beamed at him. "This is really nice of you, you know." She chirped as she followed him through the streets of Tokyo. "I'm really glad that I found you!"

"Are you?"

She nodded, grinning at a shop window where a group of kittens were playing with a ball of yarn someone had placed in their box. She turned to say something else to Fuuma but was stopped when she saw the look on his face as he glanced back at her. She could not tell what the look meant but something about was painful to see in a way she could have never described.

"Hey Fuuma?" she had to walk extra quickly to keep up with his long strides.

"Hm?"

"Can you grant your own wishes?"

"No."

"How come?"

He shrugged and she wasn't sure if that was a sign that he didn't know or he didn't want to tell her.

"Well what is your wish?" she pried further.

He didn't answer and Yuzuriha decided not to press her luck, grateful enough for how much she had already been granted that day, and followed Fuuma home like an obedient puppy.

And so for twelve days, something happened around the world, even in countries that never celebrated Christmas, had no reason to consider this a special time of year. The reporters couldn't explain it, the geopolitical analysts couldn't explain it, the world leaders couldn't explain it, but all the same, for those twelve days…

All was calm.

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	2. Friendship

_Author's Note: Yay chapter 2! \ ^_^ / I'm gonna try to post one new chapter a day for the next 12 days! I can't promise I won't miss once in a while but I do really hope to finish it before Christmas at least. ^_^_

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_On the second day of Christmas, a child wished for friendship._

Yuzuriha was the on the floor, playing with Inuki while Fuuma sat quietly in his chair, apparently lost in thought, when the boy came in. He looked older than her at first glance, had the body of a grown man. But there was a certain softness to his face that didn't seem quite right for an adult and when he spoke, quietly greeting Fuuma, his voice reminded her much more of a little girl.

"There you are." Fuuma grinned. "Yuzuriha, this is Nataku, Nataku, Yuzuriha."

"Hi there!" Yuzuriha sat up and waved, collecting Inuki in her lap.

The boy gave her the same look she remembered seeing reflected back at her in the glass at the aquarium when she was looking at the bizarre deep sea creatures. One mingled with curiosity and fear both underlined by a certain hope that whatever was in front of her was really quite nice.

"Nataku is one of my dragons."

"Really?" Yuzuriha stared openly. He looked far too gentle to be fighting on the side that was meant to destroy the world.

Nataku nodded affirmation.

"You sent for me?" he asked in a voice that reminded her of a mouse.

"Mmhm. I may need you later, so wanted you to come stick around."

Nataku obediently nodded without question and sat down on the floor by the chair, waiting as still as a doll.

Yuzuriha studied the boy for a long while, not noticing that Inuki had crawled out of her lap and snuck over to him, sniffing at the edge of his tunic-like shirt. He didn't notice either until the puppy pawed at his leg with a grin, tongue lolling in friendly openness.

Nataku jumped and recoiled.

"It's alright!" Yuzuriha knelt beside him, picking Inuki up. "He just wants you to pet him, see?" She rubbed her cheek against the top of his head as proof of his harmlessness before holding him out.

Nataku hesitated before glancing up at Fuuma like a child asking for permission to accept candy. Fuuma nodded with a small smile, watching the scenario unfold with great amusement.

Yuzuriha grinned as Nataku cautiously reached out a hand and patted Inuki's head.

"It's soft." He commented in wonder and giggled as Inuki licked his hand.

Within moments she had the boy laughing and lying on the floor with her as the puppy wagged his tail, leaping between them with little yips of excitement.

"Hey!" Yuzuriha sat up suddenly, her hair sticking in every direction.

Nataku sat up as well, resuming a patient exterior, although now with a smile as Inuki played tug of war with the end of a long ribbon of cloth he had been carrying.

"There is a pet store near here! We passed it on the way up. You seem to really get along with Inuki- why don't you adopt a puppy for Christmas?"

Nataku frowned, unsure. "I don't think I could."

"How come?"

"I don't know if I will be around enough to take care of it and then it would be lonely."

Yuzuriha thought this over. "But it'll remember your kindness even when you are gone, so even when you aren't there, it won't really be lonely will it?"

Fuuma raised an eyebrow.

Nataku hesitated. "Maybe… but I don't think I have any place to keep a puppy either."

"Oh." Yuzuriha deflated slightly. "Well still! You can call me up and play with Inuki anytime if you like!"

Nataku looked up, surprised. "Really?"

"Yeah! We'll have so much fun! We can go to the park, and to the zoo…"

"The zoo?" Nataku tilted his head.

"Yeah! And see the giraffes and the polar bears and the penguins and stuff!"

"I've never been to the zoo…"

"You haven't?" Yuzuriha's eyes widened in shock. "Not even when you were little?"

Nataku shook his head sadly.

"Well then! We shall most definitely have to go sometime!"

The boy broke into a shy smile. "Okay."

Yuzuriha noticed Fuuma watching them both intently out of the corner of her eye but as he said nothing, she ignored it and continued to play, showing Nataku some of the cool tricks that Inuki could do, from leaping through a small hoop (or rather the improvised version of a hoop made with their arms) to forming a shield in front of her for protection. He watched every trick with child-like enchantment and wonder, completely absorbed, until a woman with long dark hair arrived and called him away.

"This was really fun." Yuzuriha smiled as the both stood. "I'm glad that I got to make a new friend today!"

Nataku froze. "A friend?"

"Yeah! We're friends, aren't we?" Inuki yipped.

Nataku stared at her for a moment before breaking into another tiny smile and nodding.

Yuzuriha watched him leave with the dark haired woman then turned to Fuuma.

"I like him, he's really nice." She announced to the Dragon of Earth.

Fuuma chuckled.

"But why did you call him here? I thought you said you were going to need him later."

"I guess I didn't after all."

"How come?"

"It's getting late." Fuuma finally pulled himself out of the chair with a stretch. "We should head home."

Yuzuriha followed him back, passing the window with the kittens again, surprised to see that only one kitten was left.

"Aw, poor thing." She commented.

"What makes you say that?"

"He's all alone with his brothers and sisters gone."

Fuuma paused to look in the window with her. "Even when he's physically alone, he won't feel lonely though because he'll have the memories of others' gentleness." He glanced over at Yuzuriha with a smile. "Right?"

Yuzuriha was taken aback for a moment but quickly recovered and gave him a brilliant smile in return and an enthusiastic nod. "Right!" She thought about it as they continued on their way home. "That's the beauty of friendship you know." She told Fuuma thoughtfully. "Even when you aren't around your friends, you can still cherish the memories of the good times together, even if you are lonely to not be with them right then."

"Are you lonely?"

Yuzuriha shook her head. "I miss Sorata and Arashi and everyone a little but I'm not lonely."

"Why not?"

She skipped ahead a little so that she could walk backwards, facing him. "Cuz I'm with you right now!"

He laughed. "So you are. But I'm not your friend."

"Maybe not." Yuzuriha turned to walk beside him again. "But you aren't my enemy either."

Fuuma smiled.

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_A/N: In case you don't remember, that little comment about not being lonely because you can cherish memories is a reference to that scene at the very end of Volume 17, when Fuuma found Kamui in front of their house with the puppy._


	3. Sanctuary

_Author's Note: Yay! Chapter 3! ^_^ I'm trying to write as much as I can this weekend so that all I have to do is go post it each day, but I keep jumping around and writing random bits without really finishing any particular chapter. Also Satsuki and Yuuto are tricky son-of-a-guns. Alas. Well in any case, enjoy! ^_^_

_Also I know it started a few days ago, but I wanted to wish a Happy Hanukkah to anyone celebrating it! ^_^_

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_On the third day of Christmas, a monk wished for sanctuary._

They were eating at small café, watching people hurry by in the streets, their arms full of bags of holiday shopping, when Sorata walked in.

At first he didn't notice Yuzuriha and Fuuma in the corner, but as he turned around to leave with his newly purchased sandwich in hand, Yuzuriha's daisy-yellow coat caught his eye.

"YUZU-CHAN! We've been wondering where you were! We were all worri-" He bounded over to the table, stopping dead in his tracks as he saw who she was with. "You! I should have known you had something to do with this!" He grabbed Fuuma's collar, jerking him up slightly. "Why did you kidnap Yuzuriha?"

Fuuma gave him a bored look.

"He didn't kidnap me!" Yuzuriha protested, noticing that everyone in the café was staring at them in horror.

"It's okay Yuzu-chan, you don't have to lie to cover for him. I'm here now."

"No really! I went looking for him!"

Sorata lowered Fuuma slightly. "You… what?"

The café owner suddenly cleared his throat loudly.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else and talk about this." Yuzuriha suggested.

They left the café amid stares and whispers and made their way to a park where Inuki happily ran wild, chasing squirrels who could not see him, but could sense the presence of a dog all the same.

"You." Sorata pointed at Fuuma. "Go over there. I want to talk to Yuzuriha alone."

Fuuma raised an eyebrow.

"Please?" Yuzuriha asked. "Just for a moment?"

Fuuma shrugged and decided to humor her, wandering off to one side, examining a cherry blossom tree some yards away.

"So what's going on?" Sorata asked, taking a seat at a picnic table and unwrapping his sandwich, all the while keeping a wary eye on Fuuma.

"I made a wish and in order for Fuuma-san to grant it, he says I have to stay with him for twelve days."

"Why?"

"I don't know, he won't tell me. He just says that it's the only way to make the wish come true."

"What was your wish?" Sorata asked between mayo-ridden bites.

"I asked for peace."

"How very pageant-like." Sorata laughed. "But it's a good wish. And he's actually granting it?"

"Well for a while. It's only supposed to last for twelve days."

"Ah. Still. That's something."

"That's what I thought." Yuzuriha stole a chip from the bag of them he had produced as well. "I really just wanted a truce for the holidays. You know, give Kamui and Arashi and everyone a break from fighting."

Sorata nodded understandingly "That's a really nice thing for you to do Yuzu-chan." He grinned and ruffled her hair. "We were all worried about you though you know."

"You were?"

"Yeah, we've been looking for you. We thought maybe you had gotten hurt or something."

She shook her head. "Nope. I'm just fine. I'm sorry for making you worry but I really can't come home for a while okay?"

"Hey, you gotta do what you gotta do, right kiddo?"

She nodded. "Will you please let the others know I'm alright so that they won't worry anymore?"

Sorata chuckled. "Well I can't promise that they won't worry when they hear you're with that guy." He jerked his head in Fuuma's direction. "But I'll tell them you're okay."

She beamed at him. "Thanks Sora-san. You know," She stole another potato chip. "I always wished I had a big brother when I was little."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. Now I feel like, with you and Kamui and Subaru, it's like I have three big brothers!"

He laughed. "What about Aoki-san?"

"He's more like a dad, don't you think?"

"Hm, true. That's probably because he is a dad though huh?"

Yuzuriha thought about it. "I dunno. Karen doesn't have kids but I still think of her as the mother of our little group, don't you? And Arashi is one of the daughters?"

Sorata laughed again. "So we're like one big happy family?"

"Yeah!"

"Well then, hurry home little sister." He ruffled her hair again as Fuuma made his way back over.

Sorata took this as his sign that he needed to leave and stood up from the wooden bench.

"You." He pointed dramatically at Fuuma. "If you hurt her…"

Fuuma placed a hand on Yuzuriha's shoulder. "I won't."

Sorata frowned, unsure of what to make of the small gesture. "Just… promise she'll be okay?"

Fuuma laughed at him.

"I'm serious."

"She's safe."

Sorata still hesitated so Yuzuriha beamed at him. "I'm fine Sora-san!" Really!" She gave him a reassuring hug. "I'll be home in a few days, safe and sound, don't you worry!"

Sorata hugged her back tightly. "Yeah, I know you're pretty good at taking care of yourself. Just be careful alright?"

She nodded and they watched him leave for the metro with a cheerful wave.

"What a waste of a wish." Fuuma commented as they walked home.

"Eh?" Yuzuriha gave him a puzzled look. "Did Sorata-san make a wish?"

"He did."

"What was it?"

"That I wouldn't hurt you."

"Oh. How was that a waste?"

"You've been safe with me all along."

Yuzuriha hummed. "Well. Being safe and not getting hurt aren't always the same thing are they?"

"How do you figure that?"

"Someone can be in no physical danger but still get their heart broken." She glanced up at him. "And that hurts doesn't it?"

"Hm."

Yuzuriha shivered slightly, as the temperature was dropping rapidly with the sunset.

"Why don't we get something warm to drink on the way home?" Fuuma suggested, nodding at a coffee shop.

"Sure!" Yuzuriha followed him in, amused at the sign that disallowed pets, happy that the one advantage of having a dog that no one else could see was that he could go pretty much anywhere with her regardless. It was nice to have a constant companion.

"Hey Fuuma?" She spoke up again as they joined the line.

"Hm?"

"Are you going to grant Sorata's wish?"

He chuckled. "Are you concerned that I'm going to break your heart?"

"Nope."

"Then why do you ask?"

"I was just curious. Are you?"

He smiled. "Yes."


	4. Freedom

_Author's Note: Yay! Still keeping up! ^_^  
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_On the fourth day of Christmas, a dreamseer wished for freedom._

It was by accident that she met him.

Yuzuriha and Fuuma had gotten coffee late the night before and wound up staying up half the night playing basketball. At first, she had worried a little about trespassing on the school grounds where they had found the basketball court, but as they intended no harm or vandalism, she decided it was alright. Besides it was fun, even if it was exhausting.

Somehow Fuuma had gotten up at the same time he did every morning without even a yawn but Yuzuriha had had to drag herself out of bed, still worn out. She might have been able to keep herself up if they had been busy all day but unfortunately Fuuma had merely gone back to the strange underground chamber where apparently the Dragons of Earth usually met. He was just sitting there in his chair again, quietly waiting for something, although she never could figure out what and after an hour or so of this boredom, Yuzuriha found herself nodding off.

She found herself standing on a seaside with gulls crying overhead and the sound of breaking water. She was fairly certain that she had not been thinking about the ocean when she fell asleep and so wondered how she had wound up in this dream until a young man with ivory blond hair sitting on a rock and staring out at the sea caught her eye.

"Hi there!" She called to him.

He jumped.

"I'm Yuzuriha! Yuzuriha Nekoi!" She plopped herself down on the rock beside him. "What's your name?"

"Kakyou Kuzuki." He answered softly.

"What are you doing, Kakyou Kuzuki?"

"I'm remembering."

"Remembering what?" She pressed.

He hung his head, letting long ivory strands slip into his face. "Her."

The ocean suddenly vanished and they were alone in a dark room with a glassy black floor. Yuzuriha watched as the ghostly image of a girl not much older than her appeared to one side, wearing brightly-colored pajamas and a friendly smile.

"Who's that?" Yuzuriha stared at the girl, trying to work out the resemblance. "She looks like somebody I know…" Then the girl looked straight in her direction and she caught sight of the emerald green eyes. They were full of laughter rather than loneliness but the color and shape alone was telling enough. Yuzuriha snapped her fingers. "Subaru-san! That's who she looks like!"

"Subaru Sumeragi?"

"Yeah, do you know him?"

Kakyou shook his head. "I've never met him." He gestured at the girl. "But she talked about him a lot. He's her twin brother."

Yuzuriha's eyes widened. "I didn't even know he had a sister. What's her name?"

"Her name was Hokuto."

"Was?"

"She died, several years ago."

"Oh. I'm sorry."

"Not as sorry as I am."

"Huh?"

"I knew she was going to die." Kakyou stared sadly at the image. "But I couldn't do anything to stop it."

"How come?"

The girl disappeared and beneath the dark glass under their knees appeared a slowly spinning wheel. Clutching either side of the wheel were two dragons, one black and one white, with one another's tails in their mouths, forming an endless circle. Yuzuriha was mesmerized staring down at it but Kakyou warned her not to let her eyes linger for too long.

She looked up at him, confused, and saw that Kakyou was bound by thousands, maybe millions of tiny threads that reached out from every possible angle in the room and clung to some part of him, restraining his every movement.

"I don't understand." Yuzuriha reached out to lightly run her fingers over a thread. "Why?"

"I'm a dreamseer." Kakyou explained. "I can see the future, but I can do nothing to change it."

"Why?"

"I simply am not able." He replied morosely, staring at the still slowly turning wheel.

"But why? Why would you be given the power to see the future if you couldn't do anything about it?" Yuzuriha pressed. "What would be the point of having that power if what's going to happen is going to happen whether anyone knows about it or not?"

Kakyou looked up at her.

"I mean, you're a Dragon of Earth aren't you?"

He nodded.

"So you're supposed to be fighting to destroy the world right?"

He shook his head. "I don't want to destroy the world."

"But in theory that's what you're supposed to be doing right?"

He shrugged as much as he could between the threads. "I suppose so."

"But you aren't doing it."

"No."

"And you won't do it."

"No."

Something clicked and one tiny little strand snapped. Not nearly enough to give Kakyou full mobility. Not even enough really to be noticeable at all. But there was one less thread and Kakyou himself noticed it with surprise.

"But I can't do anything to help save the world either." He protested. "I'm an invalid, off in a room on life support, it's not like I can fight for anything."

"You don't have to fight." Yuzuriha thought hard and made the dream shift to her own imagination, taking them back to the oceanfront where they had started. "But there is still something that people do regardless of where fate takes them."

"What's that?"

"Hope."

Kakyou considered this. "But I've already seen the world end in my dreams."

"Then hope that it doesn't."

"What good will that do?"

"Maybe none." Yuzuriha answered honestly. "But it's still something that you can always do."

The dream melted away as a small scuffle from Inuki pulled her back to consciousness, but as it faded, she saw Hokuto reappear, holding out a hand to Kakyou with a smile.

Yuzuriha shifted and pulled Inuki closer with a smile before slipping back into her own dream.

Fuuma smiled too, carefully shifting to pull his jacket off and put over her shoulders as she continued to sleep with her head on his knee.

"Hope huh?" He wondered softly, then leaned back and stared at the ceiling above him.


	5. Solace

_Author's Note: Ack, I want to apologize to you guys for missing two days! ^^;; School and work took over there for a while and whenever I DID have a chance to write, Subaru decided to be stubborn and not want to let the scene play out right. *glares at him*. He's ignoring me now. Oh well. Happy last night of Hanukkah! :D_

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_On the fifth day of Christmas, an onmyouji wished for solace._

It was at Tokyo Tower that they ran into Subaru.

Yuzuriha had mentioned to Fuuma that her home was in the mountains and she had never been to Tokyo before moving there a few months ago. Since then, between fighting, school, and making new friends, she had never really gotten to see some of the sights. As such, Fuuma had graciously offered to take her to Tokyo Tower, insisting that she at least needed to see that for some reason.

Fuuma had just gone to get treats for them both while Yuzuriha stood at a window pane, staring down at the ground below, amused by how tiny people looked from this height. When she glanced up, she noticed him immediately because most of the other guests were dressed more brightly and festively, and there were numerous couples about, enjoying a romantic day out for the holidays. Subaru was in his usual drab grey and black and was a strange streak of stillness amid giddy teenagers.

Yuzuriha bounded over to him and tapped him on the shoulder, stirring him from some silent reverie.

"Hi there! You okay?" She asked.

"Yuzuriha-chan… I'm fine." He replied, looking anything but. "How are you?"

"I'm great!" She folded her arms on the bar in front of them. "So what brings you to Tokyo Tower?"

"Work."

"Oooh." Yesterday's dream suddenly drifted to the forefront of her mind. "Hey Subaru-san? Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, what is it?" He gave her a gentle smile.

"What happened to your sister?"

The smile vanished and he looked away. "She died." He answered softly.

"I know, but… how?"

The look Subaru gave the ground below was one of anguish. "She was murdered. Because of me."

Yuzuriha stared at him, trying to imagine how Subaru could possibly be the cause of anyone's death. "How could that possibly be your fault?"

"She died trying to protect me."

"But that's not your fault then."

Subaru looked up at her.

"She loved you, and she chose to protect you, even if it meant dying herself… that was hers to decide wasn't it?" Yuzuriha remembered the girl in Kakyou's dream, the way her eyes sparkled with laughter. "I saw her in a dream," She began, ignoring the way Subaru's eyes widened in surprise. "Your sister seemed like a really strong and happy person."

Subaru gave her a nostalgic smile. "She was."

"Then I cannot imagine that she would blame you in the least for her death."

He turned away with a small frown.

"I can think of something that she would blame you for though."

"What's that?"

"Being sad for her."

He turned to her again.

"I mean, she died so that you could live right? I think… I think if she were going to be upset about anything it would be that you are still grieving for her." Yuzuriha fiddled with a button on her sunshiney coat. "At least if I were going to die for someone it would be because I wanted them to find their own happiness no matter what."

Subaru opened his mouth as if he were going to speak but closed it again, pulling back whatever words he had thought of. Much to his surprise, when Yuzuriha looked up again, she wrapped her arms around him. He stiffened and stared down at her.

"I don't think she would want to see you this sad Subaru. Not for her sake."

He slowly raised his arms and embraced her back.

"You're a lot like her you know." He commented fondly, staring at the top her sunflower-adorned beret.

She grinned up at him. "Then trust me, your sister is fine. She just wants to see you be happy."

Out of the corner of his eye, Subaru could have sworn he saw a girl in an outrageous outfit with her hands on her hips, nodding but when he turned his head, there was no such person nearby. What he did see though was Fuuma casually eating an ice cream cone as he watched them both from the other side of the room.

He stiffened again and pulled away.

"What is it?" Yuzuriha asked quickly, worried that she had offended him somehow.

"The other Kamui."

"Oh!" Yuzuriha quickly shook her head. "No, he's not here to fight. He's with me."

Subaru gave her a puzzled expression.

Before Yuzuriha could explain, Fuuma joined them.

"They had peppermint flavor for the holiday season." He grinned as he handed Yuzuriha a cone. "I hope that's alright." He glanced at Subaru with a slightly more wicked smile. "Would you like one too, Subaru… kun?"

Subaru flatly declined with a small frown then looked over at Yuzuriha to discover that she was happily sharing her ice cream cone with Inuki, much to the confusion of passersby. He concluded that she didn't seem to in any immediate danger and quickly excused himself. As he turned away to go though, he saw the two of them as a tall man with a dark smile and a happy teenage girl enjoying ice cream cones together and was momentarily taken back to a different day on Tokyo Tower…

Fuuma noticed Subaru watching them out of the corner of his eye and chuckled to himself before suggesting that they head home for the day.

"Hey, Fuuma?" Yuzuriha inquired en route.

"Yes?"

"Are you doing it on purpose?"

"Doing what on purpose?"

"Having us run into the other dragons."

Fuuma chuckled. "What do you think?"

"I think you are." Yuzuriha stared at the sky above, as gray clouds began lazily gathering. "What I can't figure out is why."

"Well, I wouldn't want to deprive you of a little mystery." Fuuma teased.

Yuzuriha stuck her tongue out at him. "That's not helpful."

"Whoever said I was trying to be helpful?" Fuuma laughed.

They continued a playful banter all the way home as the sky began to darken with the threat of snow.


	6. Justification

_Author's Note: Okay! Back to posting each day hopefully! ^^;_

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_On the sixth day of Christmas, a human wished for justification._

It unfortunately did not snow that night after all, but rather iced over the city, leaving the roads perilous and the air sharp and frigid. Yuzuriha sighed as she shivered in her coat down in Fuuma's usual basement and decided to get up and move about just to maintain some body heat.

It was in doing so that she ran across a door back in a corner that she had not previously noticed.

"Hey Fuuma, what does this go to?" she called but there was no reply. She turned around to see that Fuuma had disappeared and guessed that he had gone to the restroom or something and decided to investigate the room herself.

She had expected just an empty storeroom or something, but upon cautiously pushing the door open, she discovered some sort of huge piece of machinery and a room full of crisscrossed wires. She stared at it, baffled and impressed until a voice somewhere far above her caught her attention.

"Hey. What are you doing in here."

She jerked her head around, searching for the source of the voice before realizing that there was a woman seated on top of the machine.

"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to intrude; I didn't realize-" She cut off abruptly, recognizing the young woman. "It's you!"

"What?" The woman peered down at her. "Oh you're that little Dragon of Heaven, the one with the dog."

Yuzuriha nodded and Inuki yipped beside her.

"You replaced it?"

"No one could ever replace Inuki!"

"What's this one's name?"

"Inuki."

"Sounds like a replacement to me." Satsuki gave her a bored look. "Does it fill the same function as the other dog?"

"What do you mean?"

"The other one, didn't it do things like turn into a sword and perform other little convenient tricks?"

"Well yes… but it's not the same."

"Why not?"

"It just isn't." Yuzuriha insisted.

Satsuki rolled her eyes. "So, are you here to get revenge or something?"

Yuzuriha shook her head and then remembered the way their last encounter had ended. "But I know the answer now! To that question you asked me: 'why is it wrong to kill humans'!" She declared triumphantly.

Satsuki propped her chin up on her hand, waiting.

"It's because someone would cry for them." Yuzuriha explained.

Satsuki raised an eyebrow. "What about the people who have no one to cry for them then? Is it okay to kill them?"

Yuzuriha shook her head insistently. "There is no one who would go unmissed."

The older girl snorted in derision. "My parents sold me to scientific researchers when I was four years old and haven't spoken to me since. The only contact I had with any other living people was with those researchers and I killed every one of them when I left their facilities. So tell me, little girl, who in this world would cry if I died."

"I would."

Satsuki stared at her over the top of her glasses rims, dumbfounded. "Why would you do that?"

"Because it would be sad if you died."

"Why?"

"Because you don't seem like a horrible person." Yuzuriha climbed up the side of the machine to perch on the edge, near Satsuki's seat so that they could talk face to face. "I thought you must be mean, when you asked me that question the first time and attacked me. But I think that was wrong. You aren't a bad person." She reached out and put a hand over Satsuki's much to the older girls surprise. "You just seem very lonely to me."

Satsuki stared at her.

"Hey, what is this thing anyway?" Yuzuriha abruptly changed the subject, noticing that there was soft mechanical whirring underneath her.

"This is Beast."

"Beast?"

"It's a super computer."

"Which is way better than being an average computer!" Yuzuriha joked.

Satsuki ignored her.

"Hey is this what you used to attack me before?"

"Yes."

Yuzuriha lit up. "So it's like your Inuki!"

Satsuki stiffened and glared at her. "How is this beautiful piece of machinery anything like that pathetic little dog of yours?"

"First off, Inuki is not pathetic. And second, he's like a pet that can help you do stuff when you need it to!" Yuzuriha studied the way the wires crept lovingly and protectively around the other girl. "And he cares about you, the way you care about him."

Satsuki didn't answer.

Yuzuriha thought for a moment. "I guess Beast can't cry can he?"

"Of course not. Beast is a computer."

Yuzuriha hummed then patted the machine beneath her. "Still. He would miss you too."

The computer gave another whir that very nearly could have been taken for a purr of affirmation.

"He's a good computer." Yuzuriha declared as if she were referring to a puppy.

"There you are."

Both girls turned to see Fuuma standing in the doorway.

"I see you've been pestering Satsuki-kun while I was away."

"Oh!" Yuzuriha turned to the girl with a shocked look. "Is that your name? I didn't realize I hadn't even asked!" She stuck out a hand. "I'm Yuzuriha! You can call me Yuzu-chan!"

Satsuki stared at the hand like it was a dead and rotting thing in the middle of the road.

"Come on 'Yuzu-chan'." Fuuma caught her as she hopped off of Beast.

She followed him out of the room but when she was at the doorway, Satsuki called out to her.

"Hey."

She spun around.

"Thank you. For what you said about Beast." Satsuki caressed the metal siding next to her. "He is a good computer." She gave an almost imperceptible smile.

Yuzuriha beamed.

"But don't misunderstand. The next time we meet, I'll probably still try to kill you."

Yuzuriha shrugged. "We'll see when it happens won't we?" she replied cheerfully before closing the door and running down the hallway to catch up to Fuuma.

The walk home was silent for the most part, even the sounds of the city seemed to have gelled as ice quietly encased every surface.

At long last Yuzuriha spoke up. "Kamui would cry you know."

"Hm?"

"If you died. Kamui would cry."

Fuuma gave her a sad smile. "I know."

Yuzuriha studied him as best she could without slipping.

"Is that why you fight so hard?"

Fuuma kept his eyes straight ahead. "What do you mean?"

"You always fight really hard. Is it because you don't want to die, because you know it would make others sad?"

Fuuma did not answer for a chillingly long moment. When at last he did reply it was not a straightforward response.

"A lot of people romanticize the idea of dying for someone, as if that is the ultimate kindness or service you can do for them." A disgusted look crossed his face. "When really that is the cruelest thing you can do for someone that you love."

Yuzuriha nodded and gave a somber sigh before perking back up. "Then we just have to work extra hard to live for the people that we love, right?"

Fuuma gave her an unreadable look then smiled and nodded.


	7. Salvation

_Author's Note: Gaaah, sorry that I vanished for a while! ^^;; Got sick and super busy there for a while. BUT here is Chapter 7, even if it is a bit late! _

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_On the seventh day of Christmas, a prostitute wished for salvation._

The next day, Fuuma agreed to take Yuzuriha out so that she could do some Christmas shopping. She was a little surprised by how readily he agreed to it but was excited nonetheless. Unfortunately it was bitterly cold out still and Yuzuriha was much more of a summer kind of girl as it was, so she found herself looking for an excuse to get indoors again soon after a few hours. It was then that she noticed the stained glass windows of the church.

"They're beautiful…" She noted, slightly distracted for a moment.

"Hm?" Fuuma had walked slightly ahead, not noticing her pause, but turned around when he realized she was no longer beside him.

"The windows- they're gorgeous. Could we go inside to look at them closer?"

Fuuma shrugged and followed her into the church.

All was silent as it was an unusual time of day to be there and only a few people were scattered throughout the pews, praying or perhaps merely meditating. Yuzuriha was distracted from the windows by the people praying, wondering what each of them was praying for, and if some kind of divinity would answer their prayers.

She explained this to Fuuma when he asked why she was looking around at the people's solemn faces rather than the ornate glass windows.

He considered her response for a moment, then quietly, so as not to disturb the prayers, asked, "Do you believe in God?"

Yuzuriha thought. "I don't know." She turned to Fuuma. "Do you?"

He frowned at the stained glass window at the front of the church with a cross and a humble man. "I don't trust the Christian God."

"Why not?"

"What kind of father condemns his own son to torment, torture and an early and painful death?"

Yuzuriha didn't really know what to say to this but before she could respond, a woman a few pews away spoke up.

"I wonder though. What do you think of the son?"

"Karen-san!" Yuzuriha leapt over Fuuma to tacklehug her.

"How are you hon?" Karen asked, holding her tightly as though it were her own daughter returned home.

"I'm great!"

"That's good to hear." She looked up at Fuuma, who had not moved from his seat. "Here I thought Sorata was playing some sort prank, saying that you were with the Kamui of the Dragons of Earth."

"Nope, I really am! But it's okay! He's really nice!"

Fuuma tilted his head slightly as Karen raised an eyebrow.

"Well as long as you don't feel in any danger." Karen hesitantly acknowledged.

"Did you come in to see the pretty windows too?" Yuzuriha inquired cheerfully.

Karen laughed warmly. "No. I came in to pray."

"Ohhh. What are you praying for?" Yuzuriha pressed, blissfully unaware of the privacy she was invading already.

Karen did not take offense however, she merely gave another laugh like the flicker of a candle. "Forgiveness."

"Forgiveness? For what?"

Karen gave the girl a regretful smile. "For my sins."

"Ohh, have you sinned lately?" Yuzuriha innocently blinked up at her.

"I do nearly every day, that is why I come in every day after work to pray."

Yuzuriha frowned slightly at this, studying the red heels beneath Karen's coat. "You… are a nice person though."

Karen laughed. "Thank you hon, you're pretty sweet yourself."

"I don't think you would do something that you did not think was right or necessary in some way." Yuzuriha looked up at her concerned. "So I don't understand… why you need to be forgiven."

Fuuma sank back against the pew.

"I mean, I wasn't raised Christian and I don't know a whole lot about it, but isn't the most important thing to be a good person? To care about others?" She pointed at the stained glass window at the front of the church. "Isn't that what he supposedly said?"

Karen hesitated. "Well, yes."

"And you _do_ care about others. You've been really kind to us seals." Yuzuriha turned back to her. "So I can't imagine that heaven would think of you as a bad person." She nodded again to the window. "I think if he were around now, he would defend you and your actions."

Karen stared at the young girl before her for a long, expressionless moment then broke into a soft smile and embraced her again. "Thank you." She whispered in the girl's ear.

Fuuma stood up and joined them. "I don't know about you but I'm starving." He cheerfully announced.

"Ah, we should go get dinner then!" Yuzuriha quickly hopped away after him, waving at Karen over her shoulder.

"So you are doing it on purpose." Yuzuriha declared as they wandered into a grocery store.

"Hm?"

"You're intentionally making it so that we run into the other dragons." She replied firmly.

"You asked to go into that church." Fuuma pointed out.

Yuzuriha frowned at the cuts of fish laid out upon trays of ice. "Yes, but you're arranging it somehow. I don't know how but I think I am starting to get why."

"Oh?"

She toyed with a piece of ice, watching it melt slowly in her hand. "We're granting wishes aren't we?"

"No." Fuuma flatly denied.

"We're not?" Yuzuriha was genuinely surprised.

"We aren't."

She watched the water drip through her fingers then perked up again. "Are you sure?"

"I certainly did not grant Karen's wish." Fuuma pointed out as he debated which filet to purchase.

Yuzuriha raised her head then dropped the remnants of the ice back into the tray, recalling Karen's prayer and the conversation that had followed. "I did?"

Fuuma ignored the question, busy paying for the fish he had chosen.

The rest of the way home, Yuzuriha could get nothing more out of him about the wish-granting but she went to bed wondering what all the wishes over the past few days had been and what wishes they would encounter in the near future. Most importantly, she wondered if she had misunderstood, or if she could really grant them.


	8. Meaning

_Author's Note: Yaaay another chapter done! ^_^ If you're wondering by the way about when the rest of the characters will appear (in case you're waiting for someone in particular), Chapter 9 is going to be Arashi, Chapter 10 is going to be Seishirou, Chapter 11 will be Aoki and then 12 will be Kusanagi. ^_^  
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_On the eighth day of Christmas, a hedonist wished for meaning._

A full week had passed that Yuzuriha had been with Fuuma and they had decided to spend the day at an aquarium nearby, guessing that it would not be especially busy at this time of year. A few patrons were milling about, and there were, as always, children excitedly watching the dolphins play in that particular exhibit. Yuzuriha herself was of course fascinated by them too initially but her attention was drawn away by a man sitting on a bench on the opposite wall of the glass, patiently watching the dolphins with a fond smile, seemingly unperturbed by the blocked view of children pressing their noses to the case.

She wandered away from the glass to plop down beside him with an upbeat "hello".

He quickly withdrew from whatever reverie he had been submerged in to answer her with an equally charming greeting.

"You're a Dragon of Earth aren't you?" Yuzuriha asked immediately.

The man's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

Yuzuriha glanced at Fuuma who was still standing by the dolphin display, a strange sight among the happy children. "I just did."

The man chuckled, noticing where her gaze had wandered to. "And who might you be?"

"I'm a Dragon of Heaven! My name is Yuzuriha Nekoi and I am 14 years old!"

He laughed at her outright disclosure. "Well then Yuzuriha Nekoi, I'm Yuuto, Yuuto Kigai, and I am quite a bit more than 14 years old."

Yuzuriha studied him curiously. "Really? You don't look very old to me…"

"I try. But so what are you doing with our Kamui?" He nodded to Fuuma. "Were you fighting and just decided to take a break to check out some dolphins or something?" He paused, then gave her a devilish grin. "Or have you perhaps decided to join our side?"

"Why would I do that?"

"Why not?"

"Because I want to protect the Earth!" Yuzuriha announced triumphantly. The children gasped and giggled as a dolphin did a flip.

Yuuto laughed.

Yuzuriha looked back and forth between him and the aquarium for a moment. "Do you… actually want to destroy the world?" she asked slowly.

A school teacher had finally ushered the children out, leading them on to the next exhibit and Fuuma seemed to have also disappeared somewhere, leaving the room hollow and empty suddenly.

Yuuto casually leaned back against the wall. "Not particularly."

"Then why are you a Dragon of Earth?" Yuzuriha frowned at the bench beneath her.

"Well I thought it would be interesting."

"But… the Earth could be destroyed!" Yuzuriha protested. "You have some kind of power right? That's why you're a dragon! Why don't you use it to help protect the world then?"

Yuuto shrugged. "It doesn't really matter one way or the other does it?"

Yuzuriha shook her head insistently. "It does!"

Yuuto laughed. "Do you honestly think the universe cares whether or not the Earth exists?"

"The universe might not." Yuzuriha leaned forward, drawn into the argument. "But _we_ do!"

Yuuto's usual smile dropped just a fraction. "We?"

"People!" Yuzuriha pointed to herself, "Me." Then at Yuuto. "And you."

Yuuto laughed at her again. "Why should I care?"

"Because you aren't the universe." Yuzuriha pointed out. She stood up and grabbed Yuuto's hand, pulling him over to the aquarium glass. "You like them." She indicated the dolphins, happily playing with one another.

"I do, but that's not enough of a justification for the bad things that happen in the world too."

She could not quite tell if Yuuto was looking at the dolphins or his own reflection in the glass.

"Then you think that the world should end because of the bad things?"

He shook his head. "As I said, I'm not actively trying to destroy it. I'm just along for the ride as it were. It doesn't particularly matter which side I'm on."

"It does matter!"

He turned toward her, surprised by the outburst.

"I'm sure that you've had an effect on others by being on the side that you are on." Yuzuriha insisted. "For better or for worse!"

For a second he looked ready to protest her claim then a thought crossed his mind and he turned back toward the glass with a more thoughtful look.

"Maybe it doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things, or to the universe or whatever." Yuzuriha continued. "But what you do now, here, means something to someone."

Yuuto did not respond, merely maintained his easygoing smile at the case.

Fuuma reappeared in the room behind them just then. "You know there are seahorses in the next room." He cheerfully informed Yuzuriha.

"Really?" Yuzuriha perked up. She turned back to Yuuto momentarily. "I'm glad that I met you." She added simply before excitedly beckoning to Inuki to follow her into the next room.

Fuuma followed her, amused by her enthusiasm.

"Seahorses have always been my favorites." Yuzuriha informed him happily.

Inuki whined.

"Well my favorite sea creatures." She conceded, reaching down to pet him.

Fuuma chuckled. "Some people believe that they're baby dragons." He watched one flit across the tank nearby.

Yuzuriha laughed. "Could you imagine if you, and me, and Yuuto-san, and Kamui-kun and everybody had all been little seahorses once?"

Fuuma gave her a warm smile.

"Hey Fuuma?"

"Hm?"

"Are all of the Dragons of Earth like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Yuuto-san… he didn't seem to really want the world to end, he just didn't care whether it did or not. I always thought that the Dragons of Earth were trying to destroy the world." She pressed a hand to the glass, staring at the seahorses, wondering if they even knew they were being watched. "But the others that I have met… Nataku-chan, Kakyou-san, Satsuki-chan… they don't seem like cruel people who just hate the world or anything."

"They aren't." Fuuma agreed.

"But those of us who are Dragons of Heaven, we want to protect the world." Yuzuriha pensively added.

"Not all of you."

Yuzuriha thought of Subaru and his notable lack of interest in the future.

"Most of us."

"Mm."

"I always thought that we were opposites, the Dragons of Heaven and the Dragons of Earth." She ran her hand across the glass and then the wall as she walked to another tank of a different species of seahorse, staring at them as well and wondering what the difference was really between this tank and the last one.

Fuuma shrugged. "Duality is only absolute in theory." He replied softly.

"What?"

"Nothing." He grinned and pointed to the next door. "Shall we move on?"

Yuzuriha followed him again, still lost in thought. "So are all of the Dragons of Earth really quite nice people?"

Fuuma laughed openly. "Oh I wouldn't say that." He held the door for her with a dark grin.

"Why not?"

"You'll see." He replied ominously, and with that they disappeared into the next room.


	9. Love

_Author's Note: Okay, as a culture note for those of you who don't know: In Japan, apparently Christmas is more of a couples' holiday generally and there is a stereotypical scene that shows up in a lot of anime where couples go to amusement parks together on Christmas Day or Christmas Eve as I understand it. Also, it may seem odd, for those of you who do the math based on what day I say it is in here, but the last chapter, part 12, is going to occur the day AFTER Christmas. I promise though, that's intentional. :P You'll see why.  
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_On the ninth day of Christmas, a priestess wished for love._

Yuzuriha hummed as she tapped along beside Fuuma.

"Something on your mind?" He inquired at long last.

"Just trying to figure out what to get Sora-san for Christmas. I have a gift for everyone but him now I think."

"Hm. How about a girlfriend?" Fuuma teasingly suggested.

Yuzuriha smacked his arm. "Seriously! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, I've gotta come up with something soon-oof!" She bounced back, having just run into someone she had not noticed while squabbling with Fuuma. "I'm sorry! I-" She began then cut off, recognizing the girl she had just run into.

"Huh?" Arashi gave her a dazed look then noticed Fuuma standing nearby and drew her sword, much to the shock and fear of passerby. "Look out Yuzuriha-chan! The Other Kamui is behind you!"

"No, no, no!" Yuzuriha grabbed at her arm and jerked it down. "He's not going to attack! We have a deal, it's a long story."

Arashi glared daggers at him but cautiously lowered her sword. "I thought Sorata was just telling another story when he said you were off with that guy."

"Nuh-uh. It's true. But I'll be back in a couple more days." Yuzuriha looked up, wondering what it was Arashi had been staring at moments before when she ran into her, and was somewhat surprised to see an amusement park entrance. "Oooh were you about to go on a date?" She asked excitedly.

Arashi turned beet red. "N-no! I wasn't going there!" She nervously waved her hand at the park.

"Oh." Yuzuriha's shoulders drooped slightly. "I thought maybe Sora-san had invited you out."

Arashi's blush deepened. "As if he even could." She replied indignantly.

Yuzuriha tilted her head then smiled. "Hey Arashi-san? How come you still won't admit that you really like him?"

Arashi recoiled. "Th-that's none of your business!" She huffed. "And besides, what would you know about it, you're too young to be asking that sort of question!"

"I'm only three years younger than you!" Yuzuriha demonstratively held up three fingers. "Besides, love isn't the kind of thing that you just know about at any certain age!"

"Who said anything about l-love?"

"I did!" Yuzuriha grinned. "Just now!" She leaned toward the older girl. "But he really does love you, you know. Sorata-san that is."

Arashi turned away. "He just wants someone cute."

Yuzuriha hummed. "No, I don't think so. Sorata may say he wants someone beautiful but that doesn't mean he's actually shallow, just like he acts goofy but he's not really stupid."

Arashi stared at the pavement wordlessly.

"I can't tell you what to do, but you really should tell him!"

"Isn't that telling me what to do?" Arashi asked flatly.

Yuzuriha shrugged. "Still. Maybe the perfect romantic opportunity will come up soon, you never know!" She winked at the other girl before skipping off with Fuuma in silent tow.

As soon as Arashi was out of sight, Yuzuriha slipped into a different entrance in the amusement park and bounded up to a ticket window, immediately purchasing two for the next day.

"Hey Fuuma?" She asked as they left the park with a small envelope.

"Yes?"

"Can we stop by Imonoyama Manor for just a few minutes, so that I can sneak this into Sorata's room?"

He laughed. "Sure."

As soon as they left the manor, hands now devoid of the tickets, Yuzuriha asked if Fuuma had ever been on a date.

He chuckled. "No actually, I have not."

"Hmm."

"Have you?"

"Well this one time in 3rd grade a boy I really liked asked me to play in the sandbox with him and I kissed his cheek. I guess that's the closest I've ever come to a date." Yuzuriha let her hand drop to her side, fingers running through invisible fur. "But then I said that I liked him and so did Inuki. When he couldn't see Inuki I got upset and went home crying."

Fuuma glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as they entered his flat.

"That's why I decided that I would know when someone was really special to me if they could see Inuki."

Fuuma chuckled again, but it was devoid of its usual bitter edge for once.

"Do you have some way that you think you'll know who is the person for you?" Yuzuriha inquired, shifting the focus of their conversation.

Fuuma only smiled sadly and hung his coat over a kitchen chair. "No."

Yuzuriha stared at him for a moment then curiously pressed further. "Is it because you already know?"

Fuuma did not respond for a long moment and Yuzuriha thought over the past several days before softly asking, "Do you love Kamui?"

Fuuma again did not say anything, keeping his back to her as he pulled out ingredients for dinner, but Yuzuriha suddenly remembered the pretty girl with the long hair that Kamui had clung to even long after she was dead.

"I'm sorry." She added quietly.

A few moments passed before Fuuma turned around and looked slightly surprised to see tears silently slipping down the girl's cheeks.

"What is it?"

"Just…" Yuzuriha sniffed and rubbed her eyes. "I'm sorry…" She took a deep breath and quickly perked back up, flashing him the sunniest smile she could muster. "Hey Fuuma? Let's go to an amusement park tomorrow! You and me!"

Fuuma stared at her, dumbfounded for a moment before laughing. "It'll be awfully crowded tomorrow, don't you think? All the couples out for Christmas Eve?"

"Oooh, that's true…" Yuzuriha contemplated this. "Well then, let's just go to a regular park."

"Okay then."

She beamed then snatched an apron, tying it on. "Okay then! What shall I work on?" she asked with a chipper smile, determined to get Fuuma smiling again.


	10. Beauty

_Author's Note: Okay so it might be harder to figure out what I actually meant by this one but still. Hope you enjoy it anyway! ^^; ALSO! For fans of Seishirou! I've had an idea floating around for a while for a crossover fic of X and Cardcaptor Sakura that would revolve around Seishirou and Tomoyo. An odd pairing (pairing, not couple)? You bet. But I still have an interesting idea that has been nagging at me to write it for a while, so watch my stories list or the crossovers for that if you're interested! :D_

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_On the tenth day of Christmas, an assassin wished for beauty. _

They were taking a walk in Ueno park when she saw him. Yuzuriha thought that she vaguely recognized the dark man standing under the cherry blossom tree but she wasn't sure. She wandered up beside him, looking back and forth between him and the blossoms at which he was staring. It was strange to see it in bloom right now, with the weather this cold, and even stranger to see that the blossoms were so pale they were nearly white.

"Why are they like that?" she wondered aloud.

"Because I haven't been able to do my job for the past ten days."

"How come?"

He turned to study her from behind dark glasses.

Fuuma walked up beside her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey there Sakurazuka-san."

It was hard to tell with the lenses obscuring his gaze, but Yuzuriha suspected he was staring at her shoulder. He gave Fuuma an amused smile and Fuuma dropped his hand to his side. Yuzuriha wasn't entirely sure what just happened but Fuuma gave Seishirou a warning glance before leaving to "get some hot chocolates for them".

The man eyed Yuzuriha. "What is a little Dragon of Heaven doing hanging around two Dragons of Earth?"

"How did you know?"

"The dog."

Inuki shrank back against her leg nervously and Yuzuriha reached down to stroke his neck comfortingly. "It's a long story why I am hanging around Fuuma right now."

"Fuuma?" He his head. "Ah you mean Kamui."

"No. I mean Fuuma." Yuzuriha corrected him firmly. "Just because he's important to the whole apocalypse thingy doesn't mean he isn't his own person still too."

The man raised an eyebrow then laughed. "My, it's been a while since I've been told off so sharply. What's your name, if I may ask?"

"I'm Yuzuriha Nekoi and I'm 14!" She announced, refusing to be intimidated.

He laughed again. "I see. Well I'm Seishirou Sakurazuka."

She stirred at the name then looked quickly between him and the tree. "Oh." She noticed a bench a few feet away and wandered over to it, plopping down to study both Seishirou and the sakura tree. "So why are _you_ a Dragon of Earth Sakurazuka-san?"

"Hm?"

"I've met most of the other Dragons of Earth now, I'm just wondering what your story is."

He chuckled and joined her on the bench.

"So why are you on Fuuma-san's side?"

He pulled a cigarette out of his coat pocket and lit it with a small smile. "Well I could not possibly have been on your side."

"Why is that?"

He glanced at her out of the side of his dark shades and she suddenly wondered why he was wearing them even though it was far from sunny out. In fact the clouds had gathered more thickly than she had seen them yet this winter, casting an eerie, gray light across the world, making it impossible to even guess at the time of day. "You should be wary of men like me." Seishirou informed her with amusement.

"How come?"

"Well I'm not a very good person." He laughed.

She stared at him. "I don't believe that that's true."

"Hm?"

"Well what have you done that is so bad?"

He gave her a sadistic smile that sent shiver down her spine but she stood her ground.

"Well let's see, there's all of the people that I've murdered in cold blood, including the twin sister of someone I spent a year claiming to love."

Yuzuriha bit her lip, inwardly acknowledging that those things were all far from kind but something in the way he told the story nagged at her.

"Why… haven't you killed me?"

"Eh?"

"The tree." Yuzuriha nodded at it. "It's _The_ Sakura tree isn't it? And you're the Sakurazukamori?"

Seishirou tilted his head with a sadistic smile, dropping the last shreds of pretense.

"My grandmother taught me all kinds of folklore. I heard a lot of people say that the Sakurazukamori wasn't real, but then people say that inugami aren't really either and yet I have Inuki so I figured those people were wrong about that too." She smiled cheerfully at him. "And here I was right!"

He laughed. "Not quite as fun as meeting the real Santa Claus now is it?"

"Oh I dunno. You're probably more interesting."

He studied her as he took another drag of the cigarette, resting his elbow on the bench back.

She frowned, realizing what it was that had bothered her. "Why did you claim you loved someone? That… is kind of a roundabout way for you to get near them isn't it? Doesn't the Sakurazukamori just do so pretty directly normally?"

"I don't recall saying that I was trying to kill him."

Yuzuriha's curiosity was piqued. "Then what _were_ you trying to do?"

"Break him down."

"Why?"

That wasn't a sadist's smile he gave the tree. She knew that smile well at this point, it was similar to the one she had seen Fuuma wear when he thought she could not see.

"I… still don't believe that you're a bad person." She said slowly.

He laughed as he put out the cigarette. "Is that so?"

She nodded and opened her mouth to justify her claim but was distracted as something cold and wet kissed her cheek. She brushed it away and noticed small white flecks beginning to salt Sakurazuka's hair and coat. She gasped in delight and covered her mouth with mittened hands.

"It's the first snowfall of the year!" She exclaimed. "And isn't it supposed to be lucky if it happens on Christmas Eve or something?"

Seishirou chuckled. "I've never heard that but who knows."

She turned to the Sakura tree, watching it turn paler as the blossoms were coated in a cold winter blanket. "They look prettier that way, I think." She commented. "White like that."

Seishirou smirked. "Do you know why they are normally pink?"

"Because of the blood." She looked him dead in the eye. "From your victims, right?"

He grinned.

"They're lovely that way too though." She turned back to the tree. "But I think… that they're prettiest like this."

Fuuma reappeared with three steaming cups of hot chocolate and again, Yuzuriha had the feeling that some silent conversation passed between he and the Sakurazukamori that she could not decipher. Moments later though, she and Fuuma were headed off again, intent upon getting home before the snow piled too high. Seishirou was left behind, still staring up at the tree as snowflakes quietly fell, coating both the man and the branches.

"What was it that Sakurazuka-san wished for?" Yuzuriha inquired, feeling like they had somehow left him without doing anything.

"Something beautiful."

Yuzuriha's eyes widened to the size of saucers. "Is that why it started snowing? Can you even control the weather?"

Fuuma paused in his tracks to give her a look that could only be called amusement, although she could not figure out why, before continuing on their way.


	11. Family

_Author's Note: Second to last chapter! :D And guess what? I'm not posting the last one until either Christmas or the day after. So there. :P Actually there is a reason for it that will make sense when you read the chapter. Also it takes places the day after Christmas so maybe it will feel more like you're actually reading it as it happens? XD I dunno. Either way, there is a point I want to make in it that I think will be best driven home after the holidays have ended. So sorry if that bugs you guys but deal with it. :P So watch for the last chapter either late December 25th or on the 26th! And in the meantime, A VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!_

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_On the eleventh day of Christmas, a father wished for family._

When they awoke the next morning, Yuzuriha and Fuuma discovered a blanket of snow had settled over the entire city. Yuzuriha gasped at the window and snatched at the edge of the t-shirt Fuuma had been sleeping in.

"Let's go play in it!"

So after much bundling up, she was surprised to find that Fuuma seemed to particularly dislike the cold, they trekked out into the snow, back to the park where they guessed it would still be freshest, undissolved by the street sprayers.

Yuzuriha happily set about building a snowman the second they were out in fresh ground as Fuuma sat on a bench a few feet away, watching her with great amusement. At last the snowman was finished, thanks to some branches and rocks, mostly supplied by Inuki, although she had had to wrestle some of the sticks away from him to use them as arms. Yuzuriha happily clapped her hands, declaring that the snowman was nearly complete, he just needed…

A sudden gust of wind snatched her hat away the moment she placed it on the snowman's head and with a cry of dismay she started to run after it. Much to her surprise, the hat suddenly blew back straight into her outstretched hands. She was baffled by the sudden change in direction of the wind until she noticed the man standing a few yards away waving at her with a friendly smile.

"Aoki-san!" She bounded through the snow after him, replacing her cap as she did so. "Thanks! What are you doing here?"

"I just thought I would come enjoy the snow." He replied with his ever-patient smile. He looked up to give her creation a fond smile. "My daughter and I used to go out and make snowmen every year the first day it snowed in winter."

"You don't anymore?" Yuzuriha asked innocently. "Does she think she's too old for that sort of thing now or something?"

Aoki's face fell somewhat. "No, she's still very young."

Yuzuriha hesitated but before she had to ask, Aoki explained that he had divorced his wife and was currently living as far away as possible from her and their daughter.

"Why?"

"I don't want them to get sucked into everything." Aoki sadly explained. "All of the mess with the dragons… I don't want them to be attacked just because I'm around. I don't want them to be in danger because of me."

"But…" Yuzuriha clutched her hands together through their mittens, thinking of her grandmother back in the mountains. "But don't they miss you?"

Aoki hung his head. "I don't know but I certainly miss them."

Yuzuriha's eyes filled with tears then a bark behind her caught her attention and she glanced over her shoulder to see Fuuma tossing another stick away that Inuki had found for the puppy to chase. She gasped. "No that's it!" She whipped her head back around to face Aoki. "You can go home for now!" She cried. "It's safe!"

Aoki gaped. "What? But the Promised Day hasn't come yet…"

Yuzuriha shook her head. "No, but I made a wish… it's a long story. But it's safe until tomorrow! No one will attack you! Trust me, I've been around almost all of the other Dragons now- nobody is attacking for a while!"

Aoki merely stared at her, trying to process the information.

"But you've gotta hurry." Yuzuriha urged. "The truce ends tomorrow night."

"Are you sure?" Aoki slowly asked.

"I'm positive! Hurry!" She turned a stunned Aoki around and pushed him off toward the entrance to the park. "Go see your family!"

Comprehension finally sank in and Aoki began jogging off, yelling a thank you over his shoulder.

"Tell your daughter hi for me!" Yuzuriha called after him, waving wildly.

She slowly walked back over to the snowman that Fuuma was now standing by, waiting for Inuki to come trotting back with the stick bigger than himself.

"Hey Fuuma?" She began hesitantly.

"Mhm?"

"Don't… don't you want to go spend time with family right now?" She bit her lip. "I mean, there's a temporary truce, I just realized that you haven't wanted to go see any of your own family while you can without having to worry about them getting hurt."

Fuuma stared at her solitary snowman. "Kotori was the only family I had left after our parents died."

Yuzuriha shifted uncomfortably. "Do you miss your sister?" she asked at long last, curiosity overwhelming her.

"Sometimes." Fuuma answered, again in a completely even tone as he carelessly tossed away Inuki's stick again. "You're a lot like her though you know." He grinned at Yuzuriha.

"How so?"

"Well you tend to look on the bright side of things the way she did. And you have a way of cheering up people around you." Fuuma thought for a moment. "But you're a lot stronger than she was."

"Oh, was she ill a lot?" Yuzuriha wondered.

"Yes, but that wasn't really what I meant." Fuuma eyed Yuzuriha appraisingly. "Actually in some ways you're better than her."

"What a cold thing to say about your own sister!" Yuzuriha protested.

"Why does it matter that she was my sister?" Fuuma pointed out.

"Because… because family is important!" Yuzuriha insisted. "They're people you should always be able to count on, no matter what!"

Fuuma laughed. "Yes, my sister counted on me a lot. As did my father, and while she was around, my mother."

"But you should have been able to count on them too." Yuzuriha added. "That's what families are for."

"Yes well, I seem to be doing just fine without one. Better actually, now that I have no one I have to take care of."

Yuzuriha thought about this for a while then piped up. "Can I make you an honorary big brother?"

"What?"

"Can I consider you a big brother?" Yuzuriha excitedly clapped her hands together with the muffled thud of knitted fabric. "And whenever you need someone to rely on, you can lean on me!"

Fuuma laughed. "I appreciate the offer Yuzu-chan, but no thank you."

She suspected he was intentionally using the same nickname Sorata called her but why, she wasn't sure.

_Either way_ she decided _I'm going to think of him like that anyway. _She joined in his playing with Inuki. _Even if it can't last much longer._

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_EDIT: A/N: Ack, I'm actually already done with the last chapter now and I want so much to go ahead and post it but noooo. I had to decide it would make more sense AFTER Christmas. *kicks self* It will be up sometime Christmas afternoon or evening most likely, as I'm sure you guys will be too busy to read until after then anyway. :P__  
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	12. Reconciliation

_Author's Note: The end at last! :D_

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_On the twelfth day of Christmas, a soldier wished for reconciliation._

The last day of Yuzuriha's stay arrived at last and was surprisingly quiet. She was starting to think that they would not see any other dragons for once when night fell Fuuma suggested they pack up and begin walking back toward Imonoyama Mansion. It was on their way that she saw Kusanagi sitting by a fountain. She closed her eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

_You already knew he was the other Dragon of Earth._ She reminded herself. _You knew this was coming all along._ She swallowed a few tears and then plastered the biggest smile she could across her face and dashed up to him with a chipper greeting.

He happily returned it and fondly patted Inuki, asking how she and the puppy were doing.

Before Yuzuriha could respond, she noticed a small child tossing a coin in the fountain. "Why did he do that?" she wondered, realizing that the fountain was full of coins, shimmering below the half-frozen water.

Kusanagi glanced over his shoulder at the boy. "Oh, it's to make a wish."

"Huh?"

"Supposedly if you throw a coin in here and make a wish, it'll come true." He explained.

"Is that what you're doing here?" Yuzuriha sank down onto the cold marble ledge beside him.

"No." Kusanagi stared at the ground. "I'm just here to get out for a while."

"Oh." Yuzuriha hunted around in her coin purse and pulled out two small pieces. "Well still, let's make some wishes!"

He gave her a patient smile. "You go ahead."

"You don't want to?" she lowered her hands, somewhat disappointed.

"I don't think any amount of wishing to a fountain would really grant my wish."

"What is your wish?"

Kusanagi stared at his hands, large and calloused but open before him as though begging. "That the sides would stop fighting.

Yuzuriha held her own hands out as well, staring at the glow of her mittens beneath a streetlight as people hurried home from the cold. "Maybe they will." She answered optimistically.

Kusanagi shook his head. "I don't think it's in their nature to get along."

"Are you sure?" Yuzuriha looked up at him. "People do fight a lot but they fall in love and stuff too." She thought back over the past several days. "Even people who at first seem mean. They all have the capacity to care about _someone_. Even if they don't yet… I think everyone wants to."

Kusanagi stared at her.

"Maybe… that's all it really is." Yuzuriha slowly continued. "The people who do bad things that is. Maybe they're all just waiting for someone to care about… and for someone to care about them." Something suddenly struck her and she raised her head, scanning the area for Fuuma but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Even if that's true, the dragons are still going to keep fighting aren't they?" Kusanagi sadly replied.

Yuzuriha considered this. "Maybe it's because neither one will give… Maybe if there were someone from each side to stop and say 'hey, enough guys', then it would be the first step to a truce."

"Or it would cause each side to turn against them."

"It might." Yuzuriha admitted. She hesitantly placed a hand on Kusanagi's arm. "But I don't want to fight you."

"Nor I you." Kusanagi confessed with a small smile.

Yuzuriha slid one hand out of a mitten and held up her pinky finger. "Then let's promise not to. Even if we can't make the other dragons not fight each other, and even if we have to fight the other dragons, let's at least make a pact that we won't fight each other."

Kusanagi stared at her hand for a long moment before raising his own and hooking his finger with hers. "It's probably not much in the long run." He pointed out. "But it's something I guess."

She beamed at him.

"Anyway little miss, don't you think you should head home? It's getting pretty late and awfully cold out."

She nodded, noticing Fuuma had reappeared out of the corner of her eye. "Yeah… I do need to go." She stood up and started to run off but then paused and turned back around. "I know it's a day late, but… Merry Christmas Kusanagi-san."

"Merry Christmas Yuzuriha-chan."

She caught up to Fuuma before he could see who she was with and they continued their walk to Imonoyama Mansion in silence for a long while. As they neared the campus, Yuzuriha finally asked.

"Why won't you grant a wish for Kamui?"

"Hm?"

"Twelve days… That's every dragon except for yourself and Kamui." Yuzuriha pointed out.

"Kamui won't acknowledge his Wish."

"But we weren't granting people's deepest wishes were we?" she argued. "We were just granting little temporary ones."

"I could not grant his temporary wish either." Fuuma answered sadly.

"Why not? What is it?"

"To have me back as a friend."

"Why couldn't you grant that?"

"It would be crueler to do that and then have to take it away from him."

"Why would you have to take it from him?"

Fuuma sighed. "Because I would have to go back to being the Other Kamui."

"But why?"

"Because it was foreordained."

"But…"

"Besides." Fuuma nodded toward the clocktower of the campus as they drew even closer. "Time is almost up."

"Why does it have to be over now?"

"Twelve days, that was the agreement, remember?"

"Yeah, but why? 'Tis the season to be merry and all isn't it?"

"Ah but that ends as soon as Christmas is over doesn't it?" Fuuma asked in a voice laced with sarcasm. "Peace is only for the holidays."

"That's silly though. Why can't it just keep going? I mean people obviously _can _manage it for a while."

"I don't make the rules."

Yuzuriha resisted the urge to scream in frustration. She folded her arms and followed him grumpily then thought of something again.

"Hey Fuuma?"

"Hm?"

"Are you going to be lonely after I go?"

_Ding._ The clocktower began to announce midnight.

"Hm." Fuuma didn't quite answer.

_Dong._

"Why did you have me stay with you all this time?"

_Ding._

"I told you: it was necessary."

_Dong._

"Was it… the only way there could be peace for everyone?"

_Ding._

"I suppose you could say that."

_Dong._

Inuki licked his hand goodbye.

_Ding._

"But that's just it? We had some good times and now 'bye, I'll kill you tomorrow if I see you'?"

_Dong._

Fuuma laughed. "What else did you expect?"

_Ding._

"I don't know… but can you and I still be friends?"

"No."

_Dong._

Yuzuriha huffed. "You know what? I don't care. Even if you do attack me after this, you're still a friend as far as I am concerned."

_Ding._

"Suit yourself."

_Dong._

The last bell chimed and Yuzuriha knew that time was officially up, but in a last act of defiance, she quickly raised herself up on her tiptoes and gave Fuuma a quick peck on the cheek.

"Merry Christmas, Fuuma-san."

"Christmas is over."

"No it isn't." With that cryptic response, Yuzuriha gathered up Inuki and set off toward Imonoyama Mansion with a determined spring in her step.

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End file.
